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Physician Assistant Program - Ft. Myers

Admissions Requirements

The NSU PA Program in Fort Myers matriculates one class, in June of each year. Prospective students are selected by the Committee on Admissions (COA), which considers the overall qualities of the applicant. Areas of consideration include:

  • personal motivation
  • interpersonal skills
  • knowledge and understanding of the PA profession
  • quality and length of prior health care experience
  • academic performance and level of achievement
  • recommendations/evaluations
  • life experiences

Personal interviews are offered to the most qualified applicants to assess interpersonal and communication skills, maturity, altruistic attitude and commitment to a PA career.

The NSU PA Program-Ft. Myers utilizes a rolling admissions process. Applications are received through CASPA, as they are completed, until the deadline date, December 1. Interviews are conducted beginning in September and are continued until all seats are filled. The admissions process is very competitive, and due to the rolling admissions (possible acceptance beginning in September), it is advisable to apply early in the admissions cycle.

Course work, particularly required and recommended prerequisites, completed in the recent past is deemed to be more relevant to the related content in the professional curriculum and serves as better preparation than course work completed in prior years. Academic preparation is considered on a case by case basis in the context of health care experience, etc.

Recommended courses are regarded as important elements of comprehensive preparation for application and success in the curriculum.

Introductory and survey courses are not accepted to fulfill the required science prerequisites.

Application Procedure

The Physician Assistant Program participates in the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) for the receipt and processing of all applications. CASPA takes no part in the selection of students. CASPA applications are completed online at CASPA.

Questions regarding completion of the online application may be directed to CASPA's email address, by telephone at (617) 612-2080, or by visiting the CASPA Applicant Help Center.

The CASPA application deadline is December 1 to be considered for admission the following May.

Supplemental Application Form

Once the CASPA application has been verified by CASPA and received by Nova Southeastern University, the NSU supplemental application link will be emailed to you. This email with the application link does not go out until the middle of June. Your complete supplemental application must be returned and received no later than January 15 to be considered for admission for the May entering class. Once we have received your complete CASPA application and supplemental application, your file will be reviewed. Applicants will not be considered for a possible interview until all these requirements have been received.

Additional Requirements

Prior to matriculation, applicants must have earned a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 grading scale, and a minimum science GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 grading scale at the time of application.

The College requires applicants to earn a grade of “C” (2.0) or better in each of the following required courses listed below. Science prerequisites must be completed by the end of the fall semester prior to matriculation. There is no expiration date for prerequisite courses. However, applicants are still responsible for retaining the knowledge gained from prerequisite coursework. Therefore, applicants with science prerequisites over 10 years may be considered less competitive.

College Math - 3 semester hours (Statistics does not satisfy this requirement)
  • English (including 3 semester hours of English Composition) - 6 semester hours
  • Humanities/Arts - 3 semester hours (examples include; philosophy, religion, foreign language, law, ethics, literature, performing/visual arts, e.g. music, dance, film, theater, band, opera, painting, drawing.)
  • Social Sciences - 9 semester hours (examples include; anthropology, psychology, sociology, political science, economics, history, geography, criminology, archeology, communication, cultural studies, law, ethics.)
  • General Inorganic Chemistry (I & II) including lab - 8 semester hours
  • Microbiology including laboratory - 4 semester hours
  • General Biology (or Zoology) including lab - 4 semester hours
  • Human Anatomy & Physiology 6 semester hours*
  • Biochemistry - 3 semester hours
  • Human Genetics – 3 semester hours
  • Medical Terminology - 1 semester hour

*If you take the combination class of Human Anatomy & Physiology I (A&P I), then must complete the sequence by taking Human Anatomy & Physiology II (A&P II).

Note: Graduates of foreign institutions where English is not the primary language of instruction must present transcripts showing at least 18 semester hours of study from a regionally accredited college or university in the United States. Of these 18 semester hours (or equivalent quarter hours): 3 semester hours must be in English Composition, English Literature, and Public Speaking (courses do not include ESOL). The remaining nine semester hours can be any course of the applicant's choosing (excluding physical education).

  • Biochemistry lab - 1 semester hour
  • Anatomy lab - 1 semester hour
  • Physiology lab - 1 semester hour
  • Introduction to Statistics – 3 semester hours

Applicants are encouraged to complete their elective course work in the areas of behavioral, physical and social sciences or humanities. Upon review of a student's record, the Committee on Admissions may require additional course work and testing as a condition of acceptance. In addition, previous clinical experience is highly recommended.

All applicants are required to submit official scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test through the CASPA admissions portal. The CASPA GRE code for the Fort Myers program is 0951. The GRE must have been taken within the past 5 years and must be taken early enough for official scores to be received in the admissions office by the supplemental application due date of January 15th. Applications will not be considered complete without GRE scores. Successful applicants in the past have typically had GRE scores (verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing) in the 40th percentile or higher in each of the three categories.

For further information, contact:

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
http://www.gre.org
1-609-921-9000

We no longer require proof of current certification in Basic Cardiac Life Support. All students are required to take BLS/BCLS, ACLS and PALS (pediatrics) during the program regardless of previous certification status or training.
All students are required to have a laptop computer or tablet-device with wireless internet capability, a printer, and a webcam.  Students must have access to Microsoft Office or its equivalent.  Please see the Hardware Guidelines for Computing at NSU available at https://www.nova.edu/publications/it-standards/#/1/ for more detail regarding minimum specifications.
All students will be required to track clinical experiences during the clinical year. The Program utilizes a web-based software program to track these experiences. Students may print out hard copies of the tracking pages and document their clinical experiences by hand-writing them into the pages for entry into the software program at a later date. However, to facilitate the tracking electronically, students may also prefer to purchase an IBM compatible laptop, a windows compatible PDA, or a cell phone with internet connectivity.
All applicants must show evidence of computer skills through course work or self study prior to the end of the first term. Students may obtain instruction through the NSU Microcomputer Laboratory or other training facilities.
Applicants who have attended foreign universities or colleges are required to have their academic credentials evaluated for U.S. institution equivalence by either World Education Services, Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. or Josef Silny and Associates, Inc.

World Education Services, Inc.
P. O. Box 5087
Bowling Green Station
New York, NY 10274-5087
(212) 966-6311
www.wes.org

Josef Silny & Associates, Inc.
International Education Consultants
7101 SW 102nd Avenue
Miami, FL 33173
Phone: (305) 273-1616
Fax: (305) 273-1338
Email: info@jsilny.org
Website: www.jsilny.org

Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.
P.O. Box 415070
Milwaukee, WI 53203
(414) 289-3400
www.ece.org

Prior healthcare experience is highly recommended and is considered for admission. Applicants must submit verifiable information about prior healthcare experience to be competitive for admission to the program.

Official transcripts from all institutions where course work was completed or attempted must be sent directly to CASPA by the institutions. Once accepted, if the applicant did not submit final official transcripts with degree conferral to CASPA prior to acceptance, the applicant must submit all updated transcripts to NSU prior to matriculation. The updated official transcripts are to be sent directly from the institution to:

Enrollment Processing Services
Nova Southeastern University
3301 College Avenue, P.O. Box 299000
Fort Lauderdale, Fl 33314-9905

Two letters of recommendation are required:

  •     One letter from a physician assistant
  •     One letter from a healthcare professional (e.g. physician assistant, physician, dentist, pharmacist, registered nurse, nurse practitioner, physical or occupational therapist)

Recommendations submitted by relatives, friends, personal healthcare providers, or personal friends of the family are not acceptable.

 

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